All posts tagged homeless

Hungary’s Supreme Court threw out a part of a bill that prevented the homeless from staying in the streets of the nation’s capital, Budapest.

The bill continues to bans the homeless from staying in subways and special areas such as public transport stations, playgrounds or world heritage sites in Budapest.

Last October, the parliament prohibited the homeless from living in public places and building shacks on public property, as well as scavenging trash cans. Those found guilty of the crime twice were to pay hefty fines and could be imprisoned, according to the bill. Read More »

A few hundred activists and homeless people demonstrated in Budapest Monday against the Hungarian parliament’s ban on the homeless in streets and public areas.

In line with the Act on Petty Offenses amended late Monday, local councils can now prohibit the homeless from living in public view. Found guilty of such a crime twice, such people can be imprisoned.

To make this possible, the governing Fidesz party had to amend Hungary’s constitution. The first attempt to declare street-living a crime was made last November and declared illegal by the country’s Constitutional Court.

The parliament adopted the fourth amendment of the country’s constitution March 11. The amendment regarding homeless people permits the parliament or local governments to restrict the use of public spaces for habitation in order to preserve public order, public safety, public health and cultural values. Read More »

Hungary's combative prime minister is taking a unique approach to tackling the country's homeless problem. He wants simply to ban it. Having been thwarted in this attempt last month when a constitutional court decided the move —making the act of living in the street an offense—was illegal, Viktor Orban is now taking the matter to the people.

If those living in Hungary's biggest cities decide they don't want homeless people on their streets, Mr. Orban may also change the constitution to make sure councils can ban them, and that the courts can no longer overrule him.

Hungary's homeless shelter foundation, Menhely Alapitvany, says banning homelessness isn't the solution and called instead on the government to create the circumstances that would prevent it happening in the first place. If the ban is put in place, homeless people will likely be receive fines they cannot pay and end up in prison, the foundation says. Read More »

About Emerging Europe

Emerging Europe Real Time provides sharp analysis and insight into what’s making news in Central and Eastern Europe. Drawing on the expertise of our reporters in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Turkey, the site provides an inside track on economics, politics and business in this emerging part of the European continent.